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Investigation finds accused tried to contact 6 southern Rajasthan MLAs
The SOG arrested Bharat Malani of Ajmer and Ashok Singh of Banswara on charges of hatching conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government.
The investigation of special operations group (SOG) into the sedition case registered on the basis of interception of two mobile phones has found that the two accused were eyeing six MLAs of southern Rajasthan and began efforts to contact them on June 10, said officials aware of the development.
The names of the MLAs have not been disclosed.
They also hinted that there could be more arrests in the case.
The SOG arrested Bharat Malani of Ajmer and Ashok Singh of Banswara on charges of hatching conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government.
Singh, a businessman, is a former member of Rajasthan BJP’s executive committee. Malani has been the state coordinator of one of BJPs state committees.
SOG additional director general of police Ashok Rathore said that recording of a conversation over the phone in which Malani and Singh are reportedly talking about offering money to legislators to destabilise the government is the basis of the FIR. “Both the accused are been questioned. They have been booked under section 124 A (sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code,” he said.
“During investigation, it was found that between June 10 and June 16, Singh contacted six MLAs from Banswara, Dungarpur and Chittorgarh,” the officials quoted above said.
The accused also tried to lure two MLAs of a newly formed party in Dungarpur.
Another top police official familiar with the development of this case said that there were four to five more people who were helping the two.
“We have got some clues from the investigation so far that there were four more businessmen from different districts of the state who were indirectly helping these accused in arranging money. We are working on the clues and once we get sufficient evidence, we will arrest them too,” added this person who asked not to be named.
Interestingly, the state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday lodged a complaint against three independent MLAs and the charges against them were that they were luring the MLAs of Dungapur, Udaipur and Banswara before Rajya Sabha elections to de-stabilize the government.
“The complaint has been registered on the basis of inputs collected by intelligence unit of ACB. The charges against these three MLAs are that they were trying to induce some MLAs in Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur by offering money,” said an ACB official on the condition of anonymity.
The three MLAs are Suresh Tank from Kishangarh constituency; Khushveer Singh is from Marwar Junction and Omprakash Hudla.
“Malviya was cabinet minister in previous Gehlot government and is considered as a prominent leader of the tribal districts of state which Dungapur, Banswara and Udaipur. This tenure he was not given any post and he was dissatisfied with this fact. The rest MLAs are also ambitious as the supported Congress but didn’t get any strong return,” said a senior state Congress leader.
